Former longtime Assemblyman John Marvel dies

CARSON CITY — John W. Marvel, a stalwart in the Nevada Assembly for 30 years and on other government boards, has died at the age of 86.

A cattle rancher from Battle Mountain, he was a member of the Assembly from 1978 to 2008, was minority floor leader in 1993 and chairman of the Ways and Means Committee that help shape the state budget.

His son John said his father wanted to be cremated and his ashes spread over the ranch he formerly owned in Lander County.

Gov. Brian Sandoval said, “John Marvel was a friend and mentor to me when I served with him in the Legislature. A son of Battle Mountain, John was a fierce advocate for rural issues and a leader in the Legislature. Nevada is stronger because of John’s service and I extend my condolences to John’s wife, Willie, and his children.”

During his career in public service, Marvel served on the Lander County Commission, as a member of the Advisory Public Lands Review Committee, as chairman of the Nevada Tax Commission and as a member of the state Ethics Commission.

He was born in Battle Mountain on Sept. 11, 1926, and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Reno.

For about the last 20 years, he and his wife, Wilburta “Willie,” have lived in Carson City. Survivors include his children, Sharon, John and Michelle, a brother, Tom, ten grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Join the Discussion:

Previous Discussion: comments so far…

Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy. Additionally, we now display comments from trusted commenters by default. Those wishing to become a trusted commenter need to verify their identity or sign in with Facebook Connect to tie their Facebook account to their Las Vegas Sun account. For more on this change, read our story about how it works and why we did it.

Only trusted comments are displayed on this page. Untrusted comments have expired from this story.

Former Assemblyman John Marvel will be missed dearly by many of us who have worked at the Nevada Legislature. He was a good, decent man who loved his wife very, very much and was extremely proud of his family. He made me laugh, loved my hats, and was a true gentleman. He helped me to thrive in my first session here and I am thrilled I got the chance to work with him.